Matt Groening commented that the story also has a Zen quality to it. Homer is just himself and gets along fine. Frank Grimes is a Type-A personality who wants everything perfect, and he falls apart. Thus, Homer is the stronger person, despite his obvious faults.
Hank Azaria provided the voice of Frank Grimes, even though such a role would normally have been performed by a guest star. The producers decided Azaria was more suitable because the role involved a great deal of frustration and required extensive knowledge of the show.
The subplot where Bart buys a factory was created to add something that contrasts the rather realistic and heavy main plot about Frank Grimes.
Bill Oakley came up with the idea for the episode, as he felt that Homer should have an enemy. His initial concept was incorporating a co-worker based on the real world, who would either love or hate Homer. Because the writers thought they would get the funniest results, they chose the latter.